Pumpkin Carve Spooktacular!

Pumpkin Carve Spooktacular!

News

Date: 2nd Nov 2017

Missenden Abbey has raised £300 for the Thomas Ball Children’s Cancer fund through a ‘Pumpkin Carve Spooktacular’ and the money will go towards the charity’s annual Christmas trip taking sick children to Disneyland Paris.

The 12th century Abbey, owned by Buckinghamshire New University, was decked out in cobwebs and ghoulish décor while over 50 guests enjoyed carving fantastic designs into pumpkins, colouring spooky pictures and indulging in Halloween-inspired cakes and pick n mix.

The event was organised by the Missenden Abbey charity committee, a group of staff members from various departments with a mission of increasing the venue’s already charitable reputation and supporting the local community.

Katie Shrives, Marketing Executive at Missenden Abbey and a member of the charity committee, said: “The event was very successful and we’d love to do it on a much larger scale next year to raise even more money.”

The Thomas Ball Children’s Cancer Fund charity was set up in 1999 by the then nine-year-old Thomas Ball, who battled aggressive childhood cancer neuroblastoma, and sadly died from the disease in 2003 when the cancer returned after being in remission for three years.

Thomas’ mum and chairman of the charity, Elaine Ball, said: "We never expected the pumpkin carving event to raise so much money. This is a very useful amount that will go towards our Disney trip this December.

“We have 12 children suffering from cancer who have been put forward for the trip this year. Every penny will make a difference to these children, ensuring that they all have a magical time.

“We would like to thank Missenden Abbey for organising the event and choosing our charity to benefit and we would also like to thank all the families who came along on the day.

“Missenden Abbey is a frequent supporter of our fund and we are extremely grateful."

As a 12th century former medieval abbey, set amidst beautiful Chiltern grounds, Missenden Abbey blends a historic building with a purpose-built conference and training facility boasting 22 meetings rooms and 57 en-suite bedrooms year round, providing an ideal venue to host training, conferences, private functions and weddings.

Committed to working with the local community, throughout the year, Missenden Abbey hosts a number of events to encourage community networking and supports charities working within the local area.

Missenden Abbey is part of the Venues of Excellence consortium, endorsing its commitment to the conference and events industry with a professional team of staff dedicated to delivering outstanding customer service.

Picture caption: Parents and children enjoy the Pumpkin Carve Spooktacular.